Poems About Animals

Full-color photographs accompany two hundred poems about animals.

Why do poets write about animals? What can poetry do for animals and what can animals do for poetry? In some cases, poetry inscribes meaning on animals, turning them into symbols or caricatures and bringing them into the confines of human culture. It also reveals and revels in the complexity of animals. Poetry, through its great variety and its inherently experimental nature, has embraced the multifaceted nature of animals to cross, blur, and reimagine the boundaries between human and animal. In Poetry and Animals, Onno Oerlemans explores a broad range of English-language poetry about animals from the Middle Ages to the contemporary world. He presents a taxonomy of kinds of animal poems, breaking down the categories and binary oppositions at the root of human thinking about animals. The book considers several different types of poetry: allegorical poems, poems about “the animal” broadly conceived, poems about species of animal, poems about individual animals or the animal as individual, and poems about hybrids and hybridity. Through careful readings of dozens of poems that reveal generous and often sympathetic approaches to recognizing and valuing animals’ difference and similarity, Oerlemans demonstrates how the forms and modes of poetry can sensitize us to the moral standing of animals and give us new ways to think through the problems of the human-animal divide.

Eek, you reek, You make a funk. Where you have been Things stink, stank, stunk. You've left a path, A swath of smell, And--yuk! You did it very well. Readers will be delighted by the malodorous melodies of poems calling out the different pungent attributes of a full cast of foul-smelling creatures.

This collection of twenty-two poems explores the fascinating lives of North American nocturnal animals. When the sun goes down, many animals come out. Crickets chirp their crickety song hoping to attract a mate. Cougars bury their leftovers for later, leaving few clues for others to follow. Armadillos emerge from their dens to dig for worms, leaving holes in the lawns they disturb. This collection of poetry from acclaimed children's author and poet David L. Harrison explores the lives of animals who are awake after dark. Stephanie Laberis's beautifully atmospheric illustrations will draw in readers, and extensive back matter offers more information about each animal.

When it comes to animals, it's guaranteed to be a wild time! Readers of this fun collection of animal poems will explore the animal kingdom firsthand as they read charming pieces from a variety of poets. They'll encounter important literary and poetic devices along the way, making this volume a valuable addition to any language arts curriculum. Even reluctant readers will love the adorable illustrations that enrich the text. Engaging and accessible, this volume is sure to be a hit in any library or classroom. Animal and poetry lovers alike will enjoy this charming collection.

From a bear in underwear to a real-life dragon, this charming collection of poems features many members of the animal kingdom. Endearing illustrations accompany each poem, bringing furry, scaly, slimy, and feathery friends to life. With poems from Robert Scotellaro, Kate Snow, Coral Rumble, and many others, this book introduces readers to poetic devices such as rhyme, rhythm, and repetition. Simple similes and silly onomatopoeia make learning these literary techniques fun. Readers will see that poetry can take many forms, from couplets to free verse. These humorous selections are sure to get even reluctant readers giggling. Perfect for any Language Arts curriculum, this lighthearted book is sure to be a favorite read.

In Bestiary, Stephen Mitchell has collected animal poems from many ages and many cultures. He includes excerpts from ancient masterpieces like “The Hymn to the Sun” by Pharaoh Amen-hotep IV, The Book of Job, and The Book of Psalms; haiku by Basho, Buson, and Issa; poems by Milton and Smart, Blake and Burns, Whitman and Emily Dickenson, Hardy and Hopkins... This is a gook of passionate and humorous encounters with the vibrant world of animals.

This playful collection of poems--peppered with an astounding variety of animal sounds--is meant to be read aloud together. These poems for two or more voices explore the myriad sounds animals make--from a frog's jug-o-rum to a fish's boom! to an elephant's bark. Laced with humor, the poems are a delight to read aloud and cover all major classes of animals: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, even a crustacean! Readers will learn how to estimate the temperature by counting a cricket's chirps and see how creatures make sounds at specific pitches and frequencies, so that they can be heard despite other noise around them. Extensive end notes provide more information on the animals and how and why they make the sounds they do. Written by noted children's poet Georgia Heard, this is an ideal collection for parents and children to share, or for a fun, interactive classroom read-aloud.